The present invention relates generally to children's vehicles and, more specifically, to an adjustable seat for a children's vehicle.
Tricycles are a well known and popular type of children's vehicle. A child's tricycle typically includes a frame having a head tube which pivotally supports a front fork assembly, a rear deck which is attached to a pair of rear wheels, and a main tube extending between the head tube and rear deck. The front fork assembly includes a fork member having a pair of opposing legs that rotatably support a front wheel, and a shaft extending upwardly from the fork legs through the head tube. The front wheel features a pedal crank which extends from opposing sides of the wheel. A pair of pedals are mounted one each on opposite ends of the pedal crank. The fork assembly also includes handlebars having a stem extending downwardly into the head tube and connecting with the shaft of the front fork assembly.
The main tube of such a tricycle typically is a length of tubing bent to form a front portion and a rear portion oriented at an obtuse angle with the front portion. The portion of the main tube approximately midway between the front and rear portions includes a vertically-extending hole which receives a seat post of a tricycle seat. The seat post is secured to the main tube by a set screw which is threaded through a transverse hole to contact the side of the seat post within the main tube.
While the above seat adjustment arrangement functions adequately, a wrench is required to adjust the seat. In addition, the arrangement results in the bottom portion of the seat post extending downwards from the bottom surface of the main tube which is unsightly.
An alternative seat adjustment arrangement features a plate welded or otherwise attached to the middle portion of the main tube so that it is oriented in a generally horizontal plane above the main tube. The plate features a number of holes arranged in transversely-aligned pairs running from the front to the back of the plate. Each pair of holes is sized and spaced so as to be capable of receiving a pair of bolts that pass downward through the seat. As a result, the position of the seat may be adjusted by selecting a pair of holes on the plate that correspond to the desired seat position. Once the seat is positioned in the desired position, and the bolts are passed down through the seat and selected pair of plate holes, nuts are attached to the downward extending bolts to secure the seat in the selected position. A disadvantage of this arrangement, however, is that tools must be used to tighten the nuts on the bolts. In addition, it is awkward and difficult to attach the nuts to the downward extending bolts.
Another type of adjustable seat for a tricycle is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,991 to Allen et al. The Allen et al. '991 patent shows a tricycle with a vertically-extending hole formed in the middle portion of the main tube. A bracket features a front portion with a number of longitudinally-aligned and vertically-extending holes and a rear portion that supports the tricycle seat. The front portion of the bracket is secured to the main tube via a bolt extending down through one of the bracket holes and the main tube hole. The bracket hole is selected based on the desired position of the seat. A nut is attached to the bottom of the downward-extending bolt. This arrangement also requires the use of tools to adjust the seat. In addition, once again, it is awkward and difficult to attach the nuts to the downward extending bolts.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable seat for a children's vehicle that may be adjusted without using tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable seat for a children's vehicle that may be easily adjusted.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable seat for a children's vehicle that is simple and economical to produce.
These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification.